A variety of medical conditions and injuries benefit from immobilization of the wrist during vigorous physical activity (such as competitive sports) and/or during normal daily activities. Carpal tunnel syndrome, for example, is a painful progressive condition caused by compression of a key nerve in the wrist. Tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis) is another painful chronic condition (manifesting in the elbow instead of in the wrist) that arises from an acute or chronic inflammation of the tendons that join the forearm muscles on the outside of the elbow (lateral epicondyle). These conditions, and others, may benefit from wrist immobilization to promote healing and to protect injured tissues or ligaments.
Wrist braces formed of fabric to fit the hand and wrist, with a rigid or semi-rigid splint in the palm, have been used to immobilize the wrist for many years. Wrist braces are often bulky, so they may not fit in the sleeve of the wearer's normal shirt or jacket. Wrist braces may prevent the use of gloves in cold weather or to protect the wearer's hands against contamination or injury. Wrist braces often block perspiration, trapping sweat to cause discomfort in the wearer and deterioration/odors in the brace itself. Wrist braces may interfere with finger movement, reducing manual dexterity and making it difficult to perform tasks such as writing, typing, or grasping needed for work activities or to perform tasks of daily living.
For these reasons, there has long been motivation to find an improved device for wrist immobilization that can avoid or reduce undesirable aspects of prior art devices such as poor performance, bulk, weight, moisture retention, difficulty of application, fit, cost, and/or appearance.